Regarding the duration of fatigue after stroke, acute fatigue can last up to 6 months, whereas the chronic type can persist in 40% of patients after 2 years. Another study reported fatigue to be still present in one-third of patients up to 6 years after stroke onset.
It can take many months before fatigue starts to go away after a stroke. The more you push yourself, the more tired you are likely to feel. Although it is important to participate in physical therapy and rehabilitation during stroke recovery, it is not good to try too much too soon.
The physical impact of the stroke on your brain and body can trigger fatigue. In the early weeks and months after a stroke, your brain and body are healing. The rehabilitation process can involve trying to do things in a completely new way, or learning and doing exercises which can be very tiring.
Many stroke survivors experience overwhelming fatigue, both physically and mentally. Symptoms can include difficulty with self-control, emotions and memory.
Excessive sleeping after stroke is common during the early stages of recovery as the brain works hard to heal itself. However, excessive daytime sleepiness could signify other problems that deserve a conversation with your doctor.
Usually you feel better after resting. Fatigue after stroke is different. After a stroke, you may feel like you lack energy or strength and feel constantly weary or tired. Post-stroke fatigue does not always improve with rest and is not necessarily related to recent activity.
Characteristics of post-stroke fatigue may include: overwhelming tiredness and lack of energy to perform daily activities; abnormal need for naps, rest, or extended sleep; more easily tired by daily activities than pre-stroke; unpredictable feelings of fatigue without apparent reason.
The Role of Sleep in Stroke Recovery
Quality sleep has many benefits, especially for stroke survivors. Getting a good night's sleep supports neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to restructure and create new neural connections in healthy parts of the brain, allowing stroke survivors to re-learn movements and functions.
The good news is you absolutely can live a full life after a mini-stroke. Here's how. Like strokes, mini-strokes occur when a blockage occurs in a major artery to your brain, disrupting the flow of blood and oxygen. The difference is in a mini-stroke, the disruption lasts only minutes, so there's no permanent damage.
Around 70%reported that their TIA had long- term effects including memory loss, poor mobility, problems with speech and difficulty in understanding. 60%of people stated that their TIA had affected them emotionally. There is no way to tell whether a person is having a TIA or a stroke when the symptoms first start.
However, some people were left with some residual (on-going) symptoms that lasted a few weeks, and some people continued to experience some symptoms for a while afterwards. Commonly these included arm and limb weakness or numbness, slurred speech, memory problems, confusion and visual difficulties.
The difference is TIA symptoms resolve within minutes, although they can last as long as 24 hours. Doctors call TIAs mini-strokes or warning strokes, because if you have a TIA, you are at higher risk for stroke later. TIA recovery is quick—as soon as symptoms stop.
The most rapid recovery usually occurs during the first three to four months after a stroke, but some survivors continue to recover well into the first and second year after their stroke. Some signs point to physical therapy.
Even after surviving a stroke, you're not out of the woods, since having one makes it a lot more likely that you'll have another. In fact, of the 795,000 Americans who will have a first stroke this year, 23 percent will suffer a second stroke.
Walking outside or on a treadmill, stationary cycling, recumbent cross training and many other forms of exercise that get your heart pumping are extremely beneficial for stroke recovery.
Trouble walking, talking or understanding. Difficulty swallowing. Weakness, tingling or numbness, typically in one side of the body. Confusion.
Here's something you probably won't hear in the emergency room: A transient ischemic attack (TIA, or mini-stroke) can have symptoms that last for months or years afterward. Many healthcare providers think these symptoms are rare or at least short term, but a 2013 survey from the UK Stroke Association showed otherwise.
You will likely have a head CT scan or brain MRI. A stroke may show changes on these tests, but TIAs will not.
After a stroke, it is important to start making aerobic exercise part of your routine. Physical inactivity is a risk factor for stroke, so exercising can help prevent a recurrent stroke. In addition to physical benefits, aerobic exercise has been found to promote cognitive recovery in stroke survivors.
Although the symptoms of a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) resolve in a few minutes or hours without any specific treatment, you'll need treatment to help prevent another TIA or a full stroke from happening in the future. A TIA is a warning sign that you're at increased risk of having a full stroke in the near future.